BJP will bring back Indian fishermen from Pak, Lankan jails: Sushma

February 1, 2014 11:10 am

Agencies, Rameswaram
Hitting out at the Congress-led UPA Government for turning a deaf ear to the fishermen issue, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj today assured that the ‘BJP will bring back Indian fishermen from jails in Pakistan and Srilanka,’ if elected to power at the Centre.

Addressing the ‘Kadal Thamarai’ (Sea Lotus) conference, organized by BJP’s state unit at Pamban here, Ms Sushma said the arrest of Gujarat fishermen by Pakistan navy and Tamilnadu fishermen by Srilankan navy has become a routine affair.

The attacks on the fishermen have been going on for long and the Centre has failed to prevent it.

As many as 600 Tamil Nadu fishermen were killed by Srilankan navy and several women folk become widows and struggling for their livelihood and the Congress has not taken care of it, she alleged. ‘When I raised the fishermen issue with Congress president

Sonia Gandhi in person, neither Sonian or the Congress bothered about it,’ Ms Swaraj claimed and added the issue of attacks on fishermen will be raised by her party once again in the coming Parliament session.

‘The fishermen issue could be only resolved by BJP, if Narendra Modi becomes Prime Minister.

‘We will create a separate Ministry for the welfare of the fishermen community and establish townships along the coastal regions with all infrastructure facilities’, she said. Ms Sushma also debunked claims that it is against minorities and termed it as a motivated propaganda by the Congress.
BJP is working for the welfare of all the communities, she said and sought peoples support for the party in the 2014 General Elections.
Earlier, talking to media at Madurai airport, Ms Swaraj said the BJP has not taken any final decision on alliance issue for the Lok Sabha polls.